Books by Karen Metheny
Archaeoloigy of Food: An Encyclopedia, Aug 15, 2015
This volume is the first reference work devoted to the study of food and foodways through archaeo... more This volume is the first reference work devoted to the study of food and foodways through archaeology. Scholars from archaeology and related fields will contribute entries that span a range of geographic and temporal contexts. The volume will summarize current knowledge, the range of scientific, historical, and material analyses that are brought to bear on the study of food, current theories, and key research issues.
Journal articles by Karen Metheny
Historical Archaeology, 2022
In this thematic collection, the authors make a case for sensory engagement in historical archaeo... more In this thematic collection, the authors make a case for sensory engagement in historical archaeology. The articles that follow discuss the use of sensory methods and approaches to gain insight into past human behavior across a range of temporal periods and geographic areas. These case studies, spanning a wide range of early modern and modern locales and cultures in Finland, the Great Plains, New England, and Panama, ably demonstrate the value of sensory approaches in historical archaeology. In this introduction and the articles that follow, the authors argue that sensory approaches can and should be a part of every archaeologist’s toolkit. Though in the past many archaeologists shied away from considerations of past bodily experience and perception as something that could not be seen and measured, the wealth of data from the archaeological sciences and new technologies in fact calls for the use of
sensory approaches in order to connect these important data to social and cultural practice. Indeed, it is argued here that sensory approaches complement the use of science and technology in archaeology and should inform archaeological work.
Historical Archaeology, 2022
A sensory perspective in archaeology provides insight into a range of past cultural practices, in... more A sensory perspective in archaeology provides insight into a range of past cultural practices, including foodways. An ongoing examination of the role of maize, a New World domesticate, in the diet of 17th-century New
Englanders highlights the importance of a sensory approach to understanding colonial encounters with cultural “Other.” By foregrounding sensory experience to consider the tastes, flavors, and textures ofmaize dishes, but also the physical labor of growing and preparing maize for consumption, this study demonstrates that maize, though a novel foodstuff, was for many colonists good to grow and eat. For others, this cereal was laborious to produce and, even if sustaining, neither good to eat nor, as Levi-Strauss (1983) said, good to think. By considering the physical and sensorial implications of growing, processing, preparing,
and consuming maize, archaeologists may gain insight into a broader transformation in cultural understandings and perceptions about the New World. The incorporation of maize into colonial households suggests that daily encounters with this food were integral to the formation and
negotiation of identity in colonial society.
Northeast Historical Archaeology 42:147-83, 2014
Introduction to thematic issue on food and foodways in historical archaeology.
Northeast Historical Archaeology v. 42 (2013), 2014
Journal of Historical Archaeology 29(1): 35-61, 1995
A variety of field techniques for the recovery of buried landscapes has been
successfully and u... more A variety of field techniques for the recovery of buried landscapes has been
successfully and unsuccessfully used in the Midatlantic. Using examples from Morven, the utility
of several are surveyed here. Of particular service was the practice of recording elevations as feet
(ft.) above-sea-level readings; it permitted planned variations in garden contours (i.e., terraces,
falls, sunken groves, drainage grading) to be observed across wide areas of the site. The system of
measurement used in the 18th century, based on Renaissance surveying techniques, and
knowledge of its use in designing gardens, enables modern archaeologists to predict where key
elements of older landscapes may be found below ground. Other methods discussed include the
use of the split spoon auger, the steel T-probe, post hole digger, backhoe trenching, checkerboard
excavation, and areal excavation. While none is particularly unique or innovative, using them in
combination provides the archaeologist with powerful tools for interpretation of buried historic
landscapes.
Contributed chapters/articles by Karen Metheny
Research Methods in the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition. Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition. Berghahn Press, New York., 2016
… and interpreting the …, 1996
Page 54. 2 Method in Landscape Archaeology: Research Strategies in a Historic New Jersey Garden K... more Page 54. 2 Method in Landscape Archaeology: Research Strategies in a Historic New Jersey Garden Karen Bescherer Metheny, Judson Kratzer, Anne Elizabeth Yentsch, and Conrad M. Goodwin Although the landscape has ...
Conference Presentations by Karen Metheny
When we think about the role of food as a tipping point in human development, we need to look pas... more When we think about the role of food as a tipping point in human development, we need to look past evolutionary models. Culture is messy. We don't eat everything that we, as humans, might consume. Our food choices are not always rational. Culture, rather than biology, may be everything. In this presentation, I want to highlight in particular the impacts of culturally specific food practices and values that may lead to profound cultural, social, and historical change.
Archaeologists, anthropologists, and social scientists have grappled at length with models of cul... more Archaeologists, anthropologists, and social scientists have grappled at length with models of cultural change. Past models utilize problematic terminology as well as conceptual frameworks that introduce bias. Further, they often fail to acknowledge the full spectrum of responses and actions that may underlie shifts in cultural practice. While food is everyday and ordinary, I argue that foodways, or food practices, can provide a useful lens through which to develop a better terminology and also a more
inclusive conceptual framework that highlights a full range of possible outcomes as a result of cultural encounter. By applying a food lens to the study of 17th-century colonial North America, we may be able to re-evaluate past narratives and enhance our understanding of the impacts of cultural encounter through colonialism, globalization, immigration, and capitalism.
Mary Beaudry’s contributions to historical archaeology were diverse and, in many ways, foundation... more Mary Beaudry’s contributions to historical archaeology were diverse and, in many ways, foundational. Over the course of her career, Mary explored the ways historical cultures conceptualized their world and themselves, from the linguistic evidence of probate inventories, to household goods and small finds as expressions of identity, to the material culture of cooking and dining. In this presentation, I will focus on the intersection of three of Mary’s key interests: food archaeology, sensory engagement, and household archaeology. Together, these areas connect her (and us) intimately to material culture, to households, and to past human experience. Her concept of assemblages of practices as applied to meals and mealtimes highlights the importance of envisioning people, things, and sensory experience together. I argue here that, using a food lens and the concept of assemblages of practice, we can better articulate the outcomes of cultural change through encounter.
Dissertation by Karen Metheny
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Books by Karen Metheny
Journal articles by Karen Metheny
sensory approaches in order to connect these important data to social and cultural practice. Indeed, it is argued here that sensory approaches complement the use of science and technology in archaeology and should inform archaeological work.
Englanders highlights the importance of a sensory approach to understanding colonial encounters with cultural “Other.” By foregrounding sensory experience to consider the tastes, flavors, and textures ofmaize dishes, but also the physical labor of growing and preparing maize for consumption, this study demonstrates that maize, though a novel foodstuff, was for many colonists good to grow and eat. For others, this cereal was laborious to produce and, even if sustaining, neither good to eat nor, as Levi-Strauss (1983) said, good to think. By considering the physical and sensorial implications of growing, processing, preparing,
and consuming maize, archaeologists may gain insight into a broader transformation in cultural understandings and perceptions about the New World. The incorporation of maize into colonial households suggests that daily encounters with this food were integral to the formation and
negotiation of identity in colonial society.
successfully and unsuccessfully used in the Midatlantic. Using examples from Morven, the utility
of several are surveyed here. Of particular service was the practice of recording elevations as feet
(ft.) above-sea-level readings; it permitted planned variations in garden contours (i.e., terraces,
falls, sunken groves, drainage grading) to be observed across wide areas of the site. The system of
measurement used in the 18th century, based on Renaissance surveying techniques, and
knowledge of its use in designing gardens, enables modern archaeologists to predict where key
elements of older landscapes may be found below ground. Other methods discussed include the
use of the split spoon auger, the steel T-probe, post hole digger, backhoe trenching, checkerboard
excavation, and areal excavation. While none is particularly unique or innovative, using them in
combination provides the archaeologist with powerful tools for interpretation of buried historic
landscapes.
Contributed chapters/articles by Karen Metheny
Conference Presentations by Karen Metheny
inclusive conceptual framework that highlights a full range of possible outcomes as a result of cultural encounter. By applying a food lens to the study of 17th-century colonial North America, we may be able to re-evaluate past narratives and enhance our understanding of the impacts of cultural encounter through colonialism, globalization, immigration, and capitalism.
Dissertation by Karen Metheny
sensory approaches in order to connect these important data to social and cultural practice. Indeed, it is argued here that sensory approaches complement the use of science and technology in archaeology and should inform archaeological work.
Englanders highlights the importance of a sensory approach to understanding colonial encounters with cultural “Other.” By foregrounding sensory experience to consider the tastes, flavors, and textures ofmaize dishes, but also the physical labor of growing and preparing maize for consumption, this study demonstrates that maize, though a novel foodstuff, was for many colonists good to grow and eat. For others, this cereal was laborious to produce and, even if sustaining, neither good to eat nor, as Levi-Strauss (1983) said, good to think. By considering the physical and sensorial implications of growing, processing, preparing,
and consuming maize, archaeologists may gain insight into a broader transformation in cultural understandings and perceptions about the New World. The incorporation of maize into colonial households suggests that daily encounters with this food were integral to the formation and
negotiation of identity in colonial society.
successfully and unsuccessfully used in the Midatlantic. Using examples from Morven, the utility
of several are surveyed here. Of particular service was the practice of recording elevations as feet
(ft.) above-sea-level readings; it permitted planned variations in garden contours (i.e., terraces,
falls, sunken groves, drainage grading) to be observed across wide areas of the site. The system of
measurement used in the 18th century, based on Renaissance surveying techniques, and
knowledge of its use in designing gardens, enables modern archaeologists to predict where key
elements of older landscapes may be found below ground. Other methods discussed include the
use of the split spoon auger, the steel T-probe, post hole digger, backhoe trenching, checkerboard
excavation, and areal excavation. While none is particularly unique or innovative, using them in
combination provides the archaeologist with powerful tools for interpretation of buried historic
landscapes.
inclusive conceptual framework that highlights a full range of possible outcomes as a result of cultural encounter. By applying a food lens to the study of 17th-century colonial North America, we may be able to re-evaluate past narratives and enhance our understanding of the impacts of cultural encounter through colonialism, globalization, immigration, and capitalism.